[In this simulation, you have successfully advanced to Mid-Tier Simulator.]
[You obtain basic rewards: ten plots of Spirit Fields; one additional Life Simulation attempt.]
[Settling rewards…]
[Because you altered the world's original fate—causing the righteous sects' crusade against the Demon Sect to occur ahead of time and end with all crusaders dying at Dongfang Bubai's hands—your simulation rating has increased substantially.]
[Simulation Points obtained this run: 30,000 Simulation Points.]
[Because your cultivation was drained by Dongfang Bubai, allowing her to obtain Xiaowuxiang Gong, Life-and-Death Talismans, Heavenly Mountain Plum-Plucking Hand and other martial arts long lost in that world, your simulation rating has slightly increased.]
[You obtain one additional Life Simulation attempt.]
[Defy Fate: You changed Linghu Chong's original trajectory, causing him to die under Dongfang Bubai's hand earlier than he should have. Simulation rating slightly increased.]
[You obtain three plots of Spirit Fields.]
[Simulation rating this run: Grade B.]
[Additional reward obtained: one Grade-B Talent.]
[This simulation has ended.]
[Your appearance merely accelerated this world's existing course—provoking the war between the righteous sects and the Sun and Moon Divine Cult sooner, thereby steering the martial world onto a new path earlier and providing it with several martial arts that had already been lost in the original timeline.]
The simulator's cold voice rang by Lin Chen's ear. Though the rating was only B, he had at least advanced—he was now, at last, a true Mid-Tier Simulator. It ought to have been a cause for elation.
But something was wrong. Very wrong.
From the simulator's displayed evaluation, he learned that this Dongfang Bubai was not what he had assumed—a simulator like himself. She was a native of that world.
How could that be?
The Absorbing Power Great Method wasn't even from that world's corpus of martial arts!
And that lightsaber that pierced his chest—there was no way something like that was a feat of martial arts. At least, not anything possible in a low-tier simulation world.
Lin Chen's mind replayed Dongfang Bubai's words.
"You've misunderstood something. From beginning to end, I never once said I was a simulator."
"And besides—internal energy isn't important to me."
He hadn't had the chance to think then—she had stripped him of his cultivated skills and internal energy with the Absorbing Power Great Method. If this hadn't been a simulation world in which he would not truly die, he wouldn't have the time now to consider any of it.
If what Dongfang Bubai said was true—no, she'd had no reason to lie.
And the simulator itself had identified her as a native of the simulation world.
Which meant she truly wasn't a simulator.
If so, where had she obtained the Absorbing Power Great Method? And that lightsaber… Wait—when he'd speculated she was a simulator, she hadn't shown any confusion at the term, had she?
And when he'd pointed out that her technique wasn't the Absorbing Star Great Method but the Absorbing Power Great Method, she hadn't shown the slightest surprise.
Was that because Dongfang Bubai was simply the type who "shows nothing in her face or words," or because she knew something—and therefore didn't blink when he said "simulator" or "Absorbing Power Great Method"?
Lin Chen's gaze flickered. Whichever it was, he had no way to prove it.
But he had a premonition: Dongfang Bubai harbored a secret.
"Simulator, mark this world for me. Do not allow any other person to reincarnate into it."
"Thirty hundred thousand (300,000) Simulation Points. Confirm payment?"
The simulator's voice sounded again. Lin Chen didn't hesitate.
"Confirm!"
A low-tier simulation world usually cost no more than a hundred thousand points to reserve; three hundred thousand was the near-upper limit for such a world.
Simulation Points were precious here. Fortunately, he'd stockpiled over the years—otherwise he couldn't have afforded it.
Even so, he had effectively wagered a portion of his own fate on this world.
When he had simulated a few more worlds, when his strength, experience, and talents were all greater, he would re-enter this world. Then he would unearth Dongfang Bubai's secret.
In the chat group, not even an hour after Dongfang Bubai had gone offline—
Dongfang Bubai: "It's finished."
Utterly Ordinary Group Owner: "That fast?"
Utterly Ordinary Group Owner: "How strong was that simulator?"
Roxie Vale had been surprised at first. Then again, the opponents were just a bunch of "wuxia experts" without any cheats. If Dongfang used the Glint-Glint Fruit, one kick could probably kill… who knows how many.
Slow would have been the odd thing.
Dongfang Bubai: "Not bad. Quite strong."
Dongfang Bubai: "If I hadn't joined the chat group, I likely wouldn't have been his match."
Dongfang Bubai: "However, while I was using the Absorbing Power Great Method to drain his essence, energy, and spirit, a portion suddenly vanished."
Dongfang Bubai: "It should be his backing's [rule-level item]."
She had obtained the simulator's internal energy and cultivated skills, but as for essence, energy, and spirit—she hadn't absorbed much.
Dongfang Bai did not regret it. This time she had drained the essence, energy, and spirit of more people than she could count from a host of large and small sects; even if what she took needed to be purified and compressed, the total was enormous.
Her opponent was a simulator, yes. But from his muttering to himself—always talking about advancing to Mid-Tier Simulator—that meant he'd still been low-tier.
How much essence, energy, and spirit could a low-tier simulator really have?
Utterly Ordinary Group Owner: "So that simulator's device can even keep him from dying?"
Utterly Ordinary Group Owner: "He can simulate other worlds, gain things from different systems, and not even worry about death?"
Utterly Ordinary Group Owner: "Damn, I'm jealous!"
Roxie admitted she wanted that simulator, too.
It wasn't bound to a single person, but it felt incredibly powerful.
Since the other party could simulate the world of Smiling Proud Wanderer, he could certainly simulate other worlds.
If she could cross into that simulated world and run simulations of her own, leveraging her foreknowledge would surely yield no small harvest.
Wait—he probably didn't know the plot, did he?
Utterly Ordinary Group Owner: "Does that simulator know the storyline?"
Dongfang Bubai: "Judging by how he acted, probably not. But he did recognize my Absorbing Power Great Method."
Utterly Ordinary Group Owner: "Then another simulator must've run the Number One Under Heaven world at some point."
Utterly Ordinary Group Owner: "Too bad you didn't stream it. A fight between a simulator and a chat-group member would've been epic."
Roxie couldn't help but sound regretful.
Dongfang Bubai: "…"
Dongfang Bubai: "If the group owner wants to see it, I can send a memory copy."
Dongfang Bubai: "But this isn't cinema. It's the true struggle of life and death."
Dongfang Bubai: "Every person I killed was a real life. The majority among them were, in many cases, not exactly good men."
Dongfang Bubai: "They'd say they died here simply because they wanted to kill me."
Dongfang Bubai: "And I am the leader of the Sun and Moon Divine Cult—the 'Demon Sect' cult leader in their mouths. Besides the portion who sought profit from my death, there were not a few who sincerely wanted to uphold justice."
Dongfang Bubai: "Even so—do you still want to watch?"
(End of this chapter)